Council is urged to clean local rivers to avoid future flooding
Members of Westport-Belmullet Municipal District have called on Mayo Co Council to find a solution to ensure that local rivers are maintained so that storms do not lead to persistent flooding.
Independent Cllr John O’Malley, who has repeatedly highlighted the issue, told last week's municipal meeting that flooding during the recent Storm Darragh meant several families in Carrowholly, near Westport, had to transport children to school in a tractor box.
“That is the way they had to get to work and to school. A young fellow I spoke to said the water was very deep, around 3ft deep, and was only going down very slowly. Members of Mayo County Council were working there and the whole area was like a sea and the reason behind this is because local rivers are not being cleaned.”
The Westport councillor told management it had got to a stage where the council must intervene, stating: “I think it is your duty. The man in this particular family sent me a note saying we need help and pleading, please help.
"At the last meeting, I mentioned a similar situation in Kilmeena. We have to make this a nationwide thing. The Irish Farmers Association said it is willing to take on the fight but there must be a combined effort in every county to get the Government to see that drainage works are needed on rivers."
Cllr O’Malley said claims by fisheries and nature conservation bodies that drainage works would negatively affect wildlife had no basis, adding: “The wildlife is much more clever than they are given credit for and will move if they have to. The proof of this was clear when they were doing the new road to Newport. The badgers moved; they didn’t die; they made new sets and survived. So it didn’t kill them and it won’t kill any wildlife to clean the river either.”
Louisburgh Cllr Chris Maxwell supported the call, saying that the Carrowniskey river has flooded twice more since the council meeting in November.
"The crux of the problem is cleaning the rivers. We need to get a comprehensive plan between Mayo County Council and the Office of Public Works or whoever it relates to. It’s only common sense to cut the bushes along the river. The machinery is there, all you need is a good digger, and one of those fantastic machines with three shears which is unbelievable and so efficient.
"It’s not going to cost a fortune and needs to be done.”
Cllr Maxwell said farmers in the Erriff Valley had lost a large number of sheep due to the flooding while another man's "whole farm is covered in gravel and sand for want of the fisheries to manage the river".
Head of the district Seamus O’Mongáin told members that the rivers in question were under the management of the council’s environment section, which was considering the issues articulated at the previous meeting.
“I cannot give a timeline but I know they are investigating some of these rivers already”, he said.
